I. Field of the invention
The invention relates to a containerization system and to containers which are particularly suitable for storing, packaging and transporting fluid agricultural chemical compounds, such as pesticides and concentrates thereof.
II. Discussion of the Prior Art
At present, most hazardous and toxic liquids are stored in metal drums or, where smaller quantities are involved, in plastic containers. Hazardous compounds, especially agricultural chemical compounds (agrichemicals), are formulated in various compositions.
The expression toxic or hazardous compounds as used herein means an industrial chemical or agrichemical composition, which, if released in the quantity or concentration normally in storage and shipping containers, may cause damage to the environment or be injurious to a person contacted by it.
Agrichemical compositions in liquid form, particularly in the form of concentrates, are most convenient for farmers because of the relative ease with which they can be handled. There are, nevertheless, difficulties in handling such liquid compositions. There is a danger of spillage or leakage if holes develop in containers that are accidentally dropped and thereby crack or fail. Containers have been developed which possess great resistance to impact and shock. While such containers are secure under normal storage and handling conditions, in the event of an accident, for example during transporting, there remains an appreciable risk of spillage or leakage with rapid loss of liquid. Leakage of toxic and hazardous chemicals can create damage to the environment.
The chemical and packaging industries have long sought a secure container which provides sufficient safeguard for those handling it, such as farmers and transporters, as well as adequate protection for the environment.
It is known, for example, to package agrichemicals in soluble bags or sachets made from water soluble films. While considerable effort has been made and success achieved in improving the strength of such bags, there still remains some relative fragility with such bags resulting from sudden strong impact, for example from dropping.
When designing novel containers for protecting objects having a degree of fragility, rigid materials such as rigid polymers are the construction materials of choice despite the high cost and other problems compared with many flexible polymers. One solution for this problem is exemplified in patent application WO 89/12590 where a water soluble bag containing a liquid agrichemical composition is encased in a novel outer container made of a rigid or semi-rigid polymer such as polypropylene. In its working example, the application describes a container wherein the outer container comprises a rigid body-part which contains the inner bag, i.e. the area within which the bag can move, and the shock absorbing rigid part separated from the body part by means of shoulder, or shock absorbing strips wherein the inner bag cannot move and/or deform completely. In other words, a bag part which is actually the outer container and another added shock absorbing part which is not part of the outside container. Currently, there is such a product available commercially in France called Geludose (Ciba-Geigy) which is a water soluble bag which is stored in a rigid polymeric container. Problems do exist with these types of containers. An external rigid container may break under violent shock and the broken container may have edges which may cut the water soluble bag which is inside of it. Also the lids may become dislodged when the seals are not complete. Even further, because of the complex invention design required for rigid materials, the cost of such product tends to be quite high.
An object of the instant invention is to provide a new containerization system to contain agrichemicals which is safe for everybody.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide a new containerization system to contain agrichemicals which is easy for the farmer to manipulate.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide a new containerization system to contain agrichemicals which is as much condensed as possible, using the least amount of space.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide a new containerization system to contain agrichemicals which is easy to open, easy to manufacture (and thus cheap), and which has a good shock absorption, that is to say, which has a good resistance to shock such as impact and blows.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide a new containerization system to contain agrichemicals which is stable both at high and low temperature.
Another object of the instant invention is to provide a new containerization system and/or a new method to contain agrichemicals which diminishes the risks of pollution.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a containerization system which has no lids, and is easier and cheaper to manufacture and has no problem of lids coming off.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a new containerization system for agrichemicals which reduces the waste disposal of contaminated containers and overpacks.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a new containerization system for agrichemicals which allows very efficient packing and storing due to flexible, optionally flat bags.
An object of the invention is to avoid the risk of spill or pollution and to increase the safety of water soluble packaging of agrichemicals.
Other objects of the invention will better appear from the following description.